Restrict Civilian Travel In Space

March 10, 1987

Some day, travel in space will be as routine as a commuter flight from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando. Until that day is much closer than it is now, however, the personnel aboard space shuttles should be confined to professional astronauts and scientists chosen to conduct specific experiments.

The explosion that obliterated the shuttle Challenger last year and killed all seven aboard, including teacher Christa McAuliffe, blew a gaping hole in the U.S. space exploration schedule. It also drastically altered NASA`s cocky public relations-oriented approach to its business.

Adding civilians, including two influential congressmen and the charismatic McAuliffe, to shuttle crews was great promotion for a program that has to justify the need for billions of dollars of federal funding every year.

The Challenger changed all that. The full-speed ahead scheduling and search for guest passengers were replaced by a meticulous, safety-first redesign of suspect shuttle equipment and go-go flight procedures.

NASA officials have been reluctant to discuss the alteration of passenger policies other than to admit that, yes, there has been a change in thinking.

There is no reason to hedge. The weight the shuttles can carry and the usable space inside them are limited. That weight and space should not be wasted making room for amateurs who, no matter how dedicated and eager they are and how much favorable publicity their presence might generate, add nothing tangible to a flight.

NASA had an extremely lucky run through the early stages of the shuttle program. The defects that cost those aboard the Challenger their lives were there and could just as easily have surfaced in earlier flights.

Not every problem in any experimental project is lethal. Equipment failures are commonplace. When they occur hundreds of miles above the Earth, every hand should be a productive one. Trained astronauts should not have to baby sit civilian visitors, be they politicians, plumbers, teachers or journalists.